Sebastian Faulks’s seventeenth novel examines the enduring and contentious Israel-Palestine conflict through the eyes of a British infantry officer stationed in mandate-era Palestine. Set in 1946, the book follows Philip Deval, a veteran of the Normandy campaign who is assigned as second-in-command of a battalion responsible for maintaining order amid rising tensions between Jewish and Arab communities in the region.

Deval’s deployment comes during the waning days of British administration, a period marked by increasing unrest and the British government’s eventual decision to withdraw from the territory. The novel explores the complexities of Britain’s role, highlighting its failures and maneuvers that contributed to the precarious situation ahead. Against this backdrop, Faulks portrays Deval as a figure struggling with profound personal melancholy and a growing disillusionment fueled by his wartime experiences and the unfolding political violence.

The narrative vividly captures the volatile atmosphere in pre-state Jerusalem, where diverse cultural and religious groups coexist uneasily. Faulks describes scenes in a local bar where individuals of varied backgrounds—Jewish, Arab, Armenian, Greek—gather amid simmering hostilities that all too soon erupt into violence. Deval’s reflections underscore the paradox of human advancement contrasted with the inability of closely linked communities to find peaceful coexistence.

The novel does not shy away from the brutal realities on the ground. Early in the story, Zionist paramilitaries carry out a bombing at the King David Hotel, which served as the British administrative and police headquarters. Faulks’s detailed depiction of the aftermath, including Deval’s rescue efforts and a haunting discovery among the rubble, underscores the stark human costs of the conflict.

Faulks also weaves in interpersonal relationships forged under tension. A friendship between Deval and Matthew Kilvert, a priest attached to the peacekeeping mission, provides a lens for exploring contrasting attitudes toward faith and hope. Kilvert’s enthusiasm, exemplified by his efforts to stage a multicultural Christmas performance of Oscar Wilde’s *The Importance of Being Earnest*, offers moments of levity and connection amid the turmoil. Their interactions blend humor with thoughtful discourse on belief, punctuated by a poignant episode in which Kilvert recounts what he believes to be a vision of Christ.

While the novel centers on Deval’s experience, it also touches on other relationships that shape his understanding of the region and its future amid the uncertainties faced by British soldiers awaiting postwar assignments. Through meticulous research and evocative storytelling, Faulks presents a nuanced portrait of a historical moment that continues to resonate in contemporary geopolitics.